The Second War
by Blue-the-story-writer
Summary: When the Volturi comes back, stronger than before, the Cullen's will need to call upon long-forgotten friends around the world. Jasper's past will come back to haunt him, and an important character dies. Rated T for occasional bad language. SET AFTER BREAKING DAWN. OCxOC, all original Twilight characters in canon.
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1**

**Jasper POV**

Alice and I were hunting. I watched as she gracefully threw herself from tree to tree, eyes never leaving the forest floor. I ran below her, dodging trees. A few moments later, I realised she had stopped a few miles back. I wheeled around and ran back, worried. I reached out with my power, looking for her emotions. I found them. Tense, worried, scared, angry, confused, shocked. All in one roll. She was having a vision. I leapt up into the tree beside her.

"Alice, are you okay? What do you see?" I whispered frantically, bending over slightly too level my face with hers. Her blank eyes focused and found me.

"I need to talk to Edward." In the moments she said that, I knew it was serious. But what could it be? Unless...

Alice burst into the house a few seconds ahead of me.

"Edward! Carlisle, where's Edward?" Alice said. If she could cry, I think she would be. I wrapped and arm around her waist and made her emotions calm. She shoved me away.

"Don't, Jazz. Not right now." She said defensively, and her eyes went unfocused again, searching into the future. I held up my hands, surrendering, and leaned against the nearby wall.

"I'll go find him." Bella muttered, flitting from the couch and out the door. Warm air blew inside softly, cueing summers arrival.

"Alice, what's happened?" Carlisle said, bringing a chair behind her and pushing her down gently. Bella and Edward appeared in the front doorway, I looked up at him. Alice stared at Edward, and Edward swore.

"Well if Edward swore, it _must_ be bad." Emmett snickered. I glared at him. He shut up.

"Carlisle. They're coming back. They want revenge. It's not to talk this time; this time they're getting the fight they wanted last time." Edward whispered. He looked worried.

"So it's not about Renesmee?" Bella asked, relieved. Alice shook her head.

"Where is Ness, anyway?" Emmett looked around.

"She's down at the reservation, with Jacob. Anyway, so they're coming to fight? This is bad." Carlisle said.

"Holy crap." Emmett was at a loss for words, and I chuckled at his hypocrisy at swearing.

"This is serious." Carlisle sprang up from where he was crouching next to Edward in front of Alice.

"It'll be okay. We can just get the same friends we got last time to help us." Esme appeared in the hallway, Rosalie right behind her. Rosalie carefully pushed past Esme and sat on Emmett's lap.

"We'll need more than that this time, Esme. Are there any other covens that could help us, Carlisle?" Edward looked at Carlisle, who had moved to stand next to Esme.

"The French, maybe. I wouldn't count on it because Yvette and Henri stood with the Volturi last time. Makenna and Charles maybe - they seemed hesitant to stand with them last time. Jasper, do you think the Esto-Russians would come?" Carlisle looked at me. I smirked.

"Of course. Kerli would anyway, so I imagine the rest would as well. If they were asked to, they could probably hunt down a few European nomads as well. If we really need the extra help, I could find a way to contact Maria, too." I smiled just at the thought of Kerli's enthusiasm to fight, and internally winced at the thought of Maria being around again. Kerli wouldn't be too happy with her being around either.

"So that would be the Denali's, the Amazons, the Irish, the Egyptians, the Romanians, American nomads, European nomads, the Esto-Russians, maybe the Australians, Maria and we could go back down south and see if Huilen, Nahuel, his sisters and his father could come as well. This is our chance to destroy them." I counted.

"That's 46 in total, not including us. I think they'll stop." Bella muttered.

"Plus the wolves." Rosalie piped in.

"They'll definitely stop." Emmett said, smiling at her.

"That's if they all accept. Granted, I wouldn't see why Kerli wouldn't, but the rest of her coven has free will; that could put us down seven people. The nomads won't necessarily say yes, so that's about fifteen worldwide. I haven't spoken to Grace for over a century, so the Australians might not accept either. We'll just have to contact them and see." Carlisle pointed out.

"When are they going to get here, Alice?" Esme said calmly.

"Two to three weeks." Alice and Edward said in unison.

"We'll get moving immediately." Carlisle sighed. I nodded when he looked pointedly at me.

"I'll call Kerli now - we have to get the other European nomads before the Volturi get to them." I grabbed my phone and went outside. I flicked through my contacts list, which mainly consisted of vampires around the world plus a few select humans. I found her name and pressed my finger to it. It began to ring as I put it to my ear.

"_Tere, see on Kerli?_" An accented, but familiar voice crackled through the line.

"Kerli? This is Jasper. We need your help over in America." I started.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 2**

**Kerli POV**

I lay on my bed, eyes closed, breathing even. I wish I could sleep, just to get away from it all. Silence rang through our ancient Russian mansion, which was positioned on a cliff near the Estonian city of Narva, right near the Russian border. I think the others were out hunting, probably in Tallinn or Tartu, the biggest cities in Estonia. They were also far away, so no attention was attracted towards us. I listened harder, searching for any hints of when they would be back.

About ten minutes later, I got a shock when my phone blew up in an in-built ringtone. I gasped, surprised and shocked, and answered it, quickly calming myself.

"Hello, this is Kerli?" I said in Estonian.

"Kerli? This is Jasper. We need your help over in America." A familiar voice rumbled through the line. I leapt out of bed and pressed the phone to my shoulder using my head, making sure not to break the phone. I pulled my long, platinum blonde hair up into a high ponytail.

"What is it? What's happened?" I said.

"It's the Volturi. They're seeking revenge on our coven because about a two years ago one of the Denali's, Irina, believed Edward and Bella's child was immortal. While, yes, technically she is, she is not an immortal child in the ancient sense. We had many witness on our behalf, and we won. The Volturi however..." He explained.

"Were left defeated and humiliated. I get it. Let me guess, now they're seeking a battle?" I sighed.

"Yes. And we need even more people, and if we can stop them, good. If not..." Jasper replied. He sounded worried.

"I'll be over in a matter of days. I doubt it would take Juhan and Emilia much to be convinced, and Hanna will want to come with me. Adrik will follow her, as always. I can't be certain about Grigory and Vanamo, though." I trilled as fast as I can, flitting into my room again and throwing several things into the same waterproof backpack I used last time. I fixed up the hole Alice had pointed out with duct tape. I heard the laughter outside and a key turning in the lock on the front door. Hanna came around the corner of the hallway, looking behind her and laughing.

"Fun hunting trip?" I smiled softly, hiding the bag from her. She looked at my suspicious stance warily.

"What're you doing?" She said slyly, before darting behind me and grabbing the bag before I could stop her. She looked at me.

"You're leaving." It was more of a statement than a question. I nodded, defeated. "Why? It better not be for some stupid wedding. You know how well _that _went last time." She snapped. Hanna had gotten frostier towards me ever since I had come back to Estonia, ever since I had voiced wishes to return to America. I lifted my chin.

"No. We're leaving. All of us." I said confidently. Hanna's eyes widened, then narrowed.

"What makes you-" she began.

"Where are we going?" Emilia darted into the room. Hanna sighed, exasperated.

"America. The Cullen's need our help. _And _it involves a battle." I grinned. Emilia smiled.

"_Juhan! _Start packing, we're leaving for America!" She shrieked excitedly, racing down the hall to Juhan and her room. Vanamo poked her head in.

"Excuse me?" She said, her eyebrows raised. Hanna bowed her head slightly.

"We're, uh, going to America?" She said casually. Vanamo smiled and inclined her head towards me.

"Carlisle was just on the phone to Grigory. He explained that Jasper had gotten a hold of you, Kerli, and before we left we had to round up George and Boris." Vanamo said delicately. "Grigory suggested that Emilia, Juhan, Mariya, Adrik and you two head over to Forks now, and Grigory and I stay behind and round up nomads."

"When do we leave?" Hanna asked, taking a small step towards the door. Vanamo moved slightly to let her past.

"Whenever you are all ready. Tell Mariya on the way to you and Adrik's room, would you?" Vanamo sighed. Hanna nodded and disappeared.

"I think they'll be ready to leave in a few minutes. Grigory is just packing our stuff and then we're leaving. Remember, no hunting in Forks, at least go to Seattle. Be nice, and try and keep the rest of them in line. Adrik is still very immature, and he's the third oldest. Don't let Juhan and Emilia go running off." She rambled until I laid a hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok, Vana. We'll be fine." I reassured her. I put my bag around my shoulders and walked out of the room, Vanamo following me.

A few minutes later, everyone was packed.

"We'll see you all in about a week. I've already contacted Ciel, in Canada, and him and his coven are going to meet you on the Canadian-Alaskan border." Grigory informed us.

"Which way are you heading?" Adrik spoke up.

"East. We're going to France to contact Yvette and Henri, before going and finding Boris and George. We're not going to try to get to Luca - he is a close friend of Renata's, so we would probably be killed trying." Vanamo answered. Hanna made a gagging noise at the mention of Renata, and Adrik chuckled. We exchanged hugs and goodbyes with Grigory and Vanamo, before going out to the balcony. From there we headed west, on a trail I was familiar with, having come this way two years ago. This time, I wasn't alone. This time, I was with my family on what was probably a suicide mission.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 3**

**Kerli POV**

_*~~~ Three days later ~~~*_

We slowed to a jog outside the Denali's house.

"It's dark inside. Do you think they're still here? Maybe they've already gone." Mariya pointed out. I sniffed. Their scent was everywhere, but the freshest was a combination of all of theirs, Kate's, Garrett's, Tanya's, Carmen's and Eleazar's.

"Yep. They've gone." I nodded. "We'll keep going. We have to meet the Canadians at the border in an hour." I sighed. We took off towards the border.

Two hours later, we caught scent of more vampires. No one I had ever met, so it was probably the Canadians. Sure enough a pretty vampire with, obviously, red eyes and green hair appeared a few metres away, leaning against a tree. She smiled softly when she saw us.

"You must be the Esto-Russians. I'm Madeline. This is Ciel, Dawn, Sebastian and Misha." She gestured to each of them in turn, and they nodded at us. The one named Dawn regarded us curiously.

"What's the Esto part stand for in your coven name?" She asked, one eyebrow raised. She had a eerily delicate voice.

"Estonia. We live in Narva, which is on the border of Russia and Estonia." Hanna explained. Dawn smiled at her.

"I'm going to assume that you're the one in charge while Grigory and Vanamo are not with us." The one named Ciel came forward, hand outstretched. I shook it politely.

"Bull_shit_." Adrik muttered, and I shot him a fierce glare. Ciel was still holding on to my hand. It was kinda creepy. I looked at his face carefully. He was watching me, his eyes seemed to bore into my soul. I pulled my hand away, officially creeped out. Hanna moved closer to me cautiously.

"What do you see, Ciel?" Madeline asked, placing a hand on his arm. He just shook his head. Madeline shrugged and sniffed.

"We better keep going. We don't want to keep the Cullen's waiting." She seemed to force a smile. As we began to run again, Hanna looked sideways at me, her eyebrows raised. I gave her a puzzled expression and shrugged. She rolled her eyes and kept running.

About an hour later we reached the outskirts of Forks, where the Cullen's lived. We slowed to a stop outside the house, where I jumped up the stairs confidently and knocked. Edward answered.

"Hey, Kerli. Jasper's out hunting with Alice, Bella and Carlisle. Come inside." He sighed. The entrance door opened out into the lounge room, where dozens of vampires were. I counted the Denali's, the Romanians, the Amazons, the Egyptians and the Irish. A few nomads had been here, although they were nowhere in sight. Peter and Charlotte had been here, I could only just make out their scent through the many in the room. Tanya met my eyes and nodded, smiling. I had never met Eleazar, but I could tell who he was. Hs eyes flickered to each member in our group. The Canadians relaxed slightly at the sight of the Denali's, and went to sit with them. Dawn dragged Hanna with her, and Adrik followed Hanna. Juhan and Emilia had been quiet for most of the trip, and were now speaking happily with the Egyptians. Mariya went over to Maggie, part of the Irish coven, leaving me alone. I turned myself invisible and went back outside, jumping to the roof. I found a portion of roof to sit in the shade. I closed my eyes and listened to everyone inside.

I'm not sure how long I was on the roof. I think it was about an hour, just listening to everyone. I only opened my eyes when a shadow blocked the sun from my eyelids. It was Jasper.

"Afternoon." He smiled, sitting next to me. I grinned.

"Howdy. There's a lot of vampires around. Have you contacted every coven on the planet or something?" I joked, but his face remained serious apart from the smile. Old bite marks on his face, neck and arms shimmered in the sun, as did mine.

"Almost. A few have already said they won't stand against the Volturi - I can't say that I blame them. I'm just glad we have friends who have friends." Jasper sighed, his smile fading.

"I heard you contacted the Australians. What did they say?" I had only met Grace once, not the rest of her coven. She was a vegetarian, like the Cullen's and the Denali's.

"Grace accepted, and said she would be bringing a few friends. Carlisle has no idea who these 'friends' will be. Could they be anyone you or Grigory knows?" Jasper frowned at the thought of Grace bringing dangerous 'friends' over. I wrinkled my nose.

"Well, there's a few nomads scattered around the Australasian area. It could be them," I mused. "I wouldn't be surprised, most of them are actually pretty powerful." Of that I was certain. The ones I had met, Dimity and Kim, had powers almost unheard of. Dimity had the power to talk to animals, telepathically. They didn't run away from her like they did most vampires. Kim was more powerful, and a lot more dangerous. She had the power to influence the weather.

"Good. The more help we can get, the better." Jasper muttered. "Come on. Alice wants to see you." He grabbed my arm and helped me get up. I sighed and stretched.

"Ugh. Socialising." I groaned. He laughed. We jumped down from the roof and went back inside. Just as we opened the door Alice threw herself at me.

"Kerli! I am sooo excited to see you!" She squealed. I laughed, surprised at her excitement.

"It's only been two years." I laughed, giving her a hug. I looked over Alice's shoulder, where Hanna had turned her head to watch us. Her lips were pursed and she looked pissed off. Dawn followed her direction of sight and put an arm around Hanna's shoulder and muttered something. Peter and Charlotte were back, too, and Charlotte gave me a hug. Peter simply smiled at me - we were friends, but we hasn't gotten overly close in the short time I had known him. Suddenly, Alice gasped.

Everyone in the room looked at her, and Jasper went to her side. Edward watched Alice very closely. He looked at Jasper.

"_She's _decided to come. She'll be here soon. Very soon. About half an hour, actually." Edward sighed, looking defeated. Jasper looked annoyed. Very, very annoyed.

"Who?" I asked simply. Jasper avoided my eyes, and I instantly knew who _she _was.

"You didn't. No. You wouldn't. Would you?" I whispered, covering my mouth with my hands.

"Kerli, we didn't have a choice-" Jasper started. I threw him a dirty glare, turned invisible and stalked out the front door, slamming it shut behind me so hard the glass part of it shattered and the metal frames bent. Once I was in the forest, I ran.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 4**

**Kerli POV**

I found myself at the top of a waterfall. There was a large rock right in the middle of it, so I leapt to it and sat down. The waterfall itself was on top of a very high cliff, higher than the one near my home. _Home_. Ugh, I wished Vanamo and Grigory were here. They would be much more comforting and understanding than my 'siblings'. After a while, I made myself visible again. I turned my body around, so my back was facing the edge of the falls. I carefully moved back so I was just on the edge of the rock. I steadied myself, then let my upper body swing back, so I was upside down, the waterfall rushing down the cliff and occasionally brushing against my hair.

"I am sorry, you know." A southern twang reached my ears. I pulled myself up swiftly, and saw Jasper sitting on the opposite side of the rock. I hissed at him and prepared myself to jump away. He grabbed my arm.

So I punched him in the face.

He recoiled in shock, before lunging at my midsection. He knocked us off the rock, and we plunged into the water before. The lake below was quite deep, and I got a hefty kick to his stomach before we floated to the surface. He gasped for air as soon as his head popped up, and tried to grab my arm. I kicked out of his grip and swam to the edge of the lake quickly.

"Kerli, stop!" Jasper yelled. I ignored him and kept walking, squeezing water out of my hair. "Kerli, you know we needed as much help as we could. You _know _me. You know I wouldn't have invited Maria if we didn't need her." He explained desperately.

"You. Needed. _Help_. And you decided to extend that help by inviting _her_?! You _know_ what she's done to us. You _know _what she wanted to do to us. She is one vampire. But you needed her help. Right." I laughed sarcastically.

"Just come back. You don't have to be around her if you want. And anyway, she won't try anything here. Trust me." Jasper frowned slightly, just a small crease in his forehead. I bit my lip.

"Besides, you could kick her ass if she did try anything. You and I both know that." Jasper half-smiled. I smiled slightly.

"Fine. But I'm not going to be alone around Maria. I don't want to have to handle that." I muttered. He nodded. I looked him in the eye.

"I'll race you back to the house." I smirked, before taking off. I was faster, and he knew it.

A few minutes of racing and laughing later, we were back at the house. Maria was out the front, talking to Edward and Carlisle. I stopped, my defences instantly going up. Jasper kept walking, and looked back at me. I shook my head sharply and went invisible. Jasper exhaled hard in frustration. Maria turned at the sound and saw Jasper.

"Jasper. It's been too long." Her smile was too big, too menacing for me to be comfortable. "Are dear Peter and Charlotte around? I have seen them in a while. Have you heard from Kerli? I haven't seen her since she just... Vanished." She looked around, her eyes practically glowing.

"She's here, but she's requested not to see you." Jasper said stiffly, and Maria's face fell. Good.

"Is this because of what I was talking to the army about the night she left? I know she heard, her scent led to the door then away." She sighed sadly. I snuck around the back of them, before reappearing and going inside. I sat in the corner of the living room, on the ground. I thought back to the night I left Texas again. And now, the person who had wanted to kill me was here.

Someone sat down next to me, and leaned casually against the wall. It was one of the Canadians, Misha, I think.

"Must be pretty rough on you, huh? I heard about Maria. Why don't you just leave? You have enough reason to." He smiled easily, looking sideways at me. I stared at him, trying to ignore how hot he was.

"Yeah it's rough, but I'm not going to leave just because of that. Jasper's practically my brother, and my coven is here. I'm not going to turn my back on all of that just because of _her_." I spat the last word. He nodded thoughtfully.

"I s'pose. I would leave Ciel, Madeline, Dawn or Sebastian here to have all the fun. I mean, it's not everyday a collection of vampires gathers that could easily take the 'Turi, hey?" He laughed, but there was a serious note to his voice.

"No, I suppose not." I said delicately. Why was he talking to me anyway? He didn't know anything about me. Ugh.

"Hey, Mish!" Dawn called out from across the room. "Hanna and I are gonna go spar outside. Come with?" She flicked her mane of black hair over her shoulder. Misha nodded.

"You gonna come? It'll be fun." Misha said, grabbing my arm to help me up when I nodded. When he let go I couldn't help but touch where his hand had been. _What is wrong with me? _I shook the thought off, thinking nothing of it.

"How about me and Mish spar and Kerli and you spar?" Dawn suggested to Hanna. Hanna shook her head.

"Nah. I've sparred with Kerli before, and I'm sure you and Misha have fought too. How about me and you and Kerli and Misha?" Hanna wrinkled her nose slightly at the thought of fighting me - we'd done it before and I had won. Many times over.

"Cool." Dawn sent a slightly twisted smile towards me. I sent one straight back at her. What was her problem? Stupid Canadians. Ugh.

Hanna and Dawn moved off about twenty metres away, and began trading blows and lunges towards each other. They weren't even fighting, not really. I sniffed in distaste and turned to face Misha. He grinned evilly, a smile that I couldn't help but return. Without warning, I lunged at him and the fight began.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 5**

**Kerli POV**

I went invisible instantly, and swept a low kick under him, knocking him to the ground. I decided that it wouldn't be much of a challenge to take him out invisible, so I made sure I was visible again before delivering a punch that sent him flying backwards into a tree. A loud grunt distracted me for a second, then I looked back to where Misha was sprawled on the ground... Or at least where he _had _been sprawled on the ground. I spun around, looking for him, before the wind was knocked out of me from a large shape colliding into the side of me. Misha. He pinned me, securing my arms above my head and putting his knees on my legs so I couldn't move. He smiled cheerfully above me, and I hissed at him angrily.

"One... Two... Three... And she is _doooown for the count_!" He laughed, before kissing my nose lightly. He jumped up and off me, but I was near paralysed. Yeah, the kiss had been on my nose, but no one, _no one_ had even kissed my hand in the last century, let alone my nose. I touched it slightly, my face warm. Everyone else had gone inside, but I saw Jasper looking out the window, giving me a weird look. I shrugged, frowning and wanting an answer to his weird expression. He just shook his head, winked and left the window. Frustrated, I punched a tree.

"Well. _That _was a bit unnecessary." Misha's voice came from the roof. I spun around and stared at him, my thoughts flashing back to the small kiss.

"What do you want?" I asked, my eyes narrowed. He leapt down and grabbed my hand, which I jerked back defensively. He held his hands up in a surrender.

"Whatever. Just follow me. I've got something to show you." He winked and ran to the woods. Cautiously, I followed him. We went through tons of turns and twists, over and under several fallen trees.

"Where are we going?" I said, becoming more and more nervous each step. We were at the waterfall where Jasper and I had fought not an hour ago.

"Under here." Misha grinned and dove into the lake. I hopped around the rocks near the waterfall, hoping I wouldn't slip. He appeared behind the curtain of water, and beckoned me to join him. I slipped behind the waterfall carefully, and let my eyes adjust to the dim lighting. Sunlight was visible on the other end, where Misha had disappeared into. I followed him, and was instantly overwhelmed in the sea of green. I mean, yeah, on the other side of the waterfall was very green too, but _this_... This was something else.

Misha looked at me, and seemed pleased with my awed expression. Flowers grew everywhere, soft moss covered the trees... Wow. When I looked at Misha again, he was right next to me, watching me. If I could, I'd be blushing. He reached for my hand, and I let him take it this time instead of pulling away.

"You're beautiful, you know that right?" He whispered, tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear. Yeah, definitely blushing. I looked down slightly, embarrassed for reasons I didn't know.

Then, he tilted my chin up and kissed me.

For a few brief moments, I stood there, perfectly still. Thousands of questions ran through my mind, the main one being '_What the hell is going on?!'_. I managed to ignore that for a while, and kissed him back.

Considering the last time I had kissed some one on the lips was when I was human, this was pretty shocking, as I didn't have many memories of being a human. For almost a hundred years. I mean, I know Hanna and Mariya sometimes dressed like hookers to go hunting, I had always refused to do so. Many people thought this was weird because of my rebellious nature, but I had always thought their actions were pretty... Well, slutty. Russian and Estonian men were douchebags when they were drunk anyway. And to imagine kissing one? Ugh. Disgusting.

But this was something else, something amazing. His arms gradually made their way around my waist, and I went up onto tip-toes to wrap my arms around his neck and pressed myself closer to him.

Then it ended.

He pulled back slowly, a slight smile to his face. I stared at him warily.

"Wow." He muttered, touching my cheek.

"We- we should get back." I whispered, surprised that I could even talk. His hand dropped, leaving tingles on my face where it had been.

"Yeah. That would probably be a good idea." He sighed, seeming disappointed. Feeling a little guilty, I grabbed his hand, and grinned when he looked at me in surprise. We walked back the long way, occasionally pressing up against a tree or a rock to stop and kiss.

It took us about an hour to get back to the Cullen's house. Dawn was outside waiting for us.

"You're funny, Kerli." She said, glaring at me. Misha instantly tensed up. "Just because I decide to befriend your 'sister', you decide to go after my adopted brother? Are you trying to tear our family apart? First your coven contacts us to bring us here, then you start sending me glares, and now you're hitting on one of us?" After every question, she took a step forward. Most of the vampires had come out to see what was happening, and Hanna looked skittish. Jasper had come around to stand behind Misha and I, and Ciel and Madeline had come up behind Dawn. Sebastian simply leant against the wall of the house like nothing was happening.

"Dawn. That's enough." Ciel's voice was gentle, but had immense authority to it. He lay a hand on Dawn's shoulder, and Dawn swatted it off, rounding on him.

"Stay out of this Ciel!" She yelled, and Madeline stepped forward, hissing at Dawn. Sebastian pushed off the wall, eyes surveying the scene cautiously. Dawn took another step towards me.

"Stay _away_ from Misha. Understand me?" She spat, narrowing her eyes at me. Misha pushed in front of her, and I stumbled back, Jasper catching my shoulders. Alice went to my other side, and took my hand, squeezing it slightly.

"No, Dawn, _you _stay away from Kerli. Understand me?" He growled, getting right up in her face. Dawn took a step back, alarmed at his tone. Her eyes flicked between me and him several times. Her eyes widened in understanding.

"Huh." She snorted, before flicking her hair and stalking off into the woods, Sebastian hesitantly following her. Misha watched her walk away, eyes flashing. Madeline walked over to us and hugged me, which I think surprised everyone. Ciel was standing behind her, and smiled at me and nodding.

Then, everyone turned as a car pulled up in the driveway.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 6**

**Kerli POV**

It was Vanamo and Grigory with Boris and George in the backseats. I ran over to them and threw my arms excitedly around Vanamo. She laughed and hugged me back, before turning to Hanna, Adrik, Mariya, Emilia and Juhan and hugging them in turn. George stayed to himself and usually only spoke to Alistair, whom he had created. Boris, however, socialised happily, although he mainly stuck around Vanamo and Grigory.

The next week passed easily, with the arrival of Grace, Meghan and Samuel as the Australians, and with them they bought along a few Australasian nomads, Lily, Connor, Dimity, Kim, Taiko, Amber and Mark easing everyone's nerves. They bought with them extraordinary powers, like gravity manipulation, weather control, the ability to hover above the ground, the ability to see auras and animal telepathy. Whenever we had spare time, Misha and I snuck off to our secret garden for a few hours, mainly just to make out.

Dawn eventually got over her grudge and was a little warmer towards me, but we weren't close whatsoever. Sparring sessions got more intense and more violent, and Jasper and I were the ones usually demonstrating fighting techniques. Whenever Jasper landed a blow on me, I don't think anyone needed Jasper's powers to feel the anxiety radiating off of him. When I wasn't paired with Jasper, I was usually put with Dawn, Hanna, Edward, Alice, Dimity or Emmett. Jasper was never mean enough to put Misha with me.

As the days grew closer to the inevitable fight with the Volturi, Alice got more high-strung, and everyone suffered.

"_Renesmee! _I told you not to move those flowers!" Alice screamed one morning. Everyone stared at her in surprise, especially the Cullen's who had been used to a calm and happy Alice.

A week before the Volturi were expected to arrive, Jasper had finally decided everyone knew enough to relax and prepare. Misha and I went to our secret garden in the woods. We walked slowly, holding hands. I don't think I had ever been this quiet in my life. Tensions in everyone had increased significantly in the past few days now that the number of days to our possible deaths could be counted on our fingers.

We ducked under the waterfall and walked through the cave to the garden. I sat heavily onto the grass underneath a pine tree, and Misha sat next to me.

"You nervous? It'll be fine." He said, smiling reassuringly and taking my hand. I squeezed it.

"I know. I just... I dunno. I kind of wish we had met another way, another way that doesn't have the prospect that we might lose one another." I said sadly, picking at the blades of grass around me. Misha pulled me onto his lap and I cuddled into his chest.

"I'm glad we met this way. You know why? Because we're going to live. Okay?" He said firmly. I shifted so I was facing him but still on his lap.

"You seem very adamant about that." I smiled slightly, putting my forehead to his. He closed his eyes and grinned.

"Of course I am. I know things." He smirked and licked my nose. I yelped and scrambled off his lap, rubbing my nose.

"You obviously _don't_ know that licking people's noses is gross." I muttered and he laughed.

"You liked it. You just don't want to admit it." He reached out and pulled me back. I leant my face back warily, eyes narrowed. His smile faded, and went completely serious.

"I'm not gonna lick you. I swear." A hint of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth up. I shuffled in closer, sitting on his lap again facing him. He grinned again and kissed me. "At least, not in the way _you're _thinking." He smirked, and I smacked his back before moving my lips back to his. He moved his lips down my neck, making me gasp. After a few minutes, he pulled away, looking at my neck.

"What?" I frowned, instantly worried.

"Your scars..." His face softened, no longer intimate, but showing no expression at all.

"They're from the wars." I sighed. While bite scars weren't as dominate a feature on me than they were on Jasper, they were still there. Misha looked up at me understandingly.

"I know. I just don't think people would expect you to have scars. You're too beautiful. I certainly didn't." He gave me a sad smile, and I instantly felt annoyed, annoyed at all the newborns who had given me those scars. Misha noticed my change in mood, and kissed me again, quite roughly.

"Honestly? I think they make you more gorgeous. Kind of like a warrior princess thing." He growled between kisses.

"I am. Without the princess part." I grinned, and Misha wrapped an arm around my back and one under my knees, half-flipping me and putting me in a carrying position.

"Ah, but you're _my _princess." He said wisely, winking. I laughed and pulled myself up using his neck. I pulled away and sighed.

"Seriously now. What happens to us after this? Say we both _do _survive-" I began, but Misha but in.

"Which we will." He said, just as determined as last time. I rolled my eyes.

"Okay. So, when we _do _survive, what happens to us? Where do we go?" I couldn't help but let a slight frown shadow my face. Misha shrugged casually and leant against the tree behind him.

"I move to Estonia with you. Simple." He smirked, as though it was obvious.

"And leave your family behind? I can't do that." I whispered, putting a hand on his cheek.

"I'd do it for you." He smiled, but I could tell the smile was at least partially forced. I considered it. For some reason, I couldn't imagine both of us going back to Estonia.

Suddenly, an idea popped up in my head. The answer was so obvious.

"Or, I could move to Canada." I grinned, looking into his eyes.

"What about D-" he began, but I shut him up by putting a hand over his mouth.

"I don't care about Dawn. I can handle her, and you know it. Plus, it would mean I would be an hour away from the Cullen's, and Peter and Charlotte would be around somewhere too. It's a win-win situation." I grinned again, sitting up straight, proud of my own logic.

"And leave _your_ family behind?" Misha raised his eyebrows. I hesitated.

"I can visit them whenever I want. Besides... There's only a couple of them I would miss. And I'm closer to Jasper than all my coven members combined. And then there's you. What's so bad about Canada, anyway?" I smirked. What I said was true - the only ones I would truly miss we're Vanamo, Grigory and maybe Hanna. Definitely not Emilia, Juhan, Mariya or Adrik.

"Nothing. I just thought you'd miss Estonia. You were born there, right?" Misha questioned, watching me. I shook my head.

"Nah, I was born in Texas. My first language is Estonian, though, because my parents were born there. And we don't really live there, anyway. Narva is practically part of Russia, it's so close to the border." I wrinkled my nose. I didn't really like Russia that much.

Ugh. So many decisions for one day.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 7**

**Kerli POV**

That night, Misha and I went hunting.

"You go left, I'll go right and we'll meet up in a bit?" I suggested, and Misha nodded. Just as I turned away to run off, Misha grabbed my arm, and I spun back around to face him. He pushed me against the nearby wall of an alley, and kissed me.

"What was that for?" I whispered when he pulled away after a few moments.

"What was what for?" He mysteriously raised an eyebrow and tapped his nose suspiciously. I narrowed my eyes at him and made a 'I'm watching you' sign towards him. His laughter echoed through the streets as he sped away. I rolled my eyes and leapt to the top of the nearest building. I closed my eyes and inhaled. In the past few times I've hunted, I've made a job of memorising the streets of Seattle. I stood on the roof of Schmitz Park Elementary School, and the prey I could smell was over on Harbour Island, around about 11th Avenue SW.

Smiling slowly, I leapt off the school building and sped down SW Spokane Street. If my measurements were correct, I could be at 11th Avenue in about... Oh, a minute or so. In a matter of seconds, I was on the West Seattle Bridge. I could almost swear I could hear whoever-it-was' heartbeat from here. My eyes were a flat black, contrasting against my hair. Just as I passed the train station, something big, but not car big, fast and strong smashed against me, knocking me into one of the sheds there. The screeching and tearing of metal was almost deafening. I looked down to see what had hit me, hissing.

Misha.

I glared and shoved him away. He lay on the ground, laughing his head off. I pushed out of the rubble, and sniffed. The person I had smelt over on Harbour Island was gone. Civilians and cars had begun to gather around the wreckage, some idiots taking photos. I ducked under a sheet of metal, and grabbed Misha's hand, who was still laughing. I pulled him out easily and went to an abandoned shed on the other side of the tracks. He stopped laughing and smiled at me innocently. I glared at him, hands on hips. His grin faded and he stood up.

"Uh... It was meant to be a joke..." He stammered after a few moments of death stares. I snorted dismissively and walked out a door, before taking off again. I could hear him following close behind me. I grabbed a homeless person from an alley and drank from him while I ran, disposing of the body in a trash can in an alley.

We were back at the Cullen's place in half an hour. Still angry, I slammed the door behind me, Misha barely catching it before it clicked back into place in the frame so he could let himself in. Dawn was lounging on the sofa, flicking through one of Alice's fashion magazines. Spotting my expression, she smirked.

"Trouble in paradise?" She snickered. She continued to laugh when I glowered at her, which just aggravated me more. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper entered the room, the only person who really knew how bad my anger issues could be. I wasn't really good on impulse control, and Dawn just made it worse.

So I socked her in the nose.

Unfortunately, if she was a human, it would've felt more satisfying - the blood, the crunch, the broken cartilage, the crying, the chaos... But no. She was a vampire, and all the punch gave me by way of satisfaction was the small shriek of shock mingled with pain. Just as I was about to leap in to punch her again, Sebastian appeared right in front of me, snarling viciously. Jasper moved to either flank me defensively again Sebastian or to hold me back from attempting any more damage. Misha pushed in front of me, astonishing me. After the rant I had given him on the way home, it was amazing that he would even consider crouching in front of me protectively the way he was now.

Shocked, I took a step back. Sebastian moved carefully over to Dawn to help her up because she was still sprawled across the floor. Most of the vampires the Cullen's had gathered had pressed themselves into the room to see what was going on. Taking another shocked look at Misha, who had barely relaxed any, I sprinted out of the house.

I went to Misha's secret garden. It was almost like home now, I spent so much time in and around it. Sitting at the bottom of my favourite tree, I put my head on my knees.

Honestly, I had never been _in _love, either as a human or a vampire. Sure, I felt a little protective of Misha, but Misha... The way he acted around me reminded me of Hanna and Adrik, of Emilia and Juhan, of Vanamo and Grigory. _Soul mates? _Before coming here, I had never believed in soul mates. I mean, to have only one person in the world you're meant to be with? Ridiculous. But... The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Especially since vampires are immortal.

Before today, I had thought that Misha and I were simply lovers, possibly future husband and wife. Possibly. But now? It was more definite.

A loud splash pulled me out of my thoughts. Hopefully, it was Misha. Sure enough, the familiar scent of him reached me. He flicked his hair to get water out of it.

"It's okay." He whispered, hugging me when I leapt towards him, half-sobbing.

**A/N: Guys, I thought I had done the right thing by giving you guys 6/7 chapters without asking for reviews. But, after 2 favourites and 4 follows, and over 200 views, I'm going to start asking for them. As a starting point, how about a meagre 2 reviews for the next chapter? ;3 xox**


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 8**

**Jasper's POV**

Everyone glared holes into Dawn, but it wasn't until Ciel and Madeline stepped forwards out of the throng that a true form of fear settled over Dawn's face. Madeline, although her face remained blank and emotionless, was by far the most terrifying.

"Do you have fucking _rocks_ in your head, Dawn?!" Madeline began, before Sebastian resumed his defensive position in front of Dawn. "Sebastian, get the fuck out of my way before I _tear your fingers off!_" Madeline screeched, turning her death stare to him. Sebastian flinched before silently moving away.

"Dawn, I know you're not necessarily a people person, but - _LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM TALKING TO YOU!_" Everyone in the area jumped in surprise when Madeline's prim and proper English accent came out noticeably as it became laced with malice. Dawn's eyes widened and she looked up from the ground, looking Madeline in the eye. "How _dare _you treat Misha and Kerli with so much disrespect that it drives Kerli to punch you in the face. Hell, you probably deserved it! We came here in hopes that, not only to defeat the Volturi, but also so you'd get that _stick _out of your _arse _and maybe, for once, make some fucking friends. Our coven may be here forever, but we can only put up with the self-righteous bitch that is _you _for so long! Sebastian is your _mate _but you hardly treat him with any respect. My suggestion is that you start showing some or," Madeline leaned in to her threateningly, eyes narrowed and voice deadly. "I will not hesitate to kill you." She looked Dawn up and down, disgusted.

Alice's eyes widened at Madeline's tone, and I squeezed her hand, quickly putting a calm, happy feeling into the air. Madeline spun around and snarled at me, but Madeline wasn't anywhere near as terrifying as a whole army of newborns - not physically, at least. Her expression towards me, however, was frightening.

"Lets go." Alice said, a small crease between her eyebrows that was a frown. She tugged on my arm when I didn't move, just in case. I shot Madeline another warning look before following Alice inside. Renesmee was lying casually on the couch, reading Dawn's abandoned magazine.

"Someone's in a good mood." She snorted, flicking over a page. Alice flitted around the couch to behind Renesmee's head, and looked at the page she was studying.

"Ohhh, I absolutely _love _that one!" Alice trilled excitedly, pointing to something on the page. I sighed. Girls. I left the room, leaving Alice and Renesmee to squeal over the latest fashions. Eventually, everyone else came back inside. Well, everyone but Dawn and Sebastian. Dawn reminded me annoyingly of Grace, one of the newborns who had picked fights with Kerli at any and every moment possible. Grace was responsible for most of mine and Kerli's scars. We killed her in the first few days of Kerli's new life. Grace was probably one of the only people Kerli and I didn't regret killing.

I don't think we'd regret killing Dawn either.

"Jasper!" Alice's desperate cry came from the lounge room. Renesmee was flipped around, holding Alice's hand. Alice's face was full of alarm, her eyes blank. The emotions radiating off her were annoyed and desperate. She was having a vision. Renesmee glanced at me.

"Get Dad!" She shrieked. Alice gulped for air, eyes wide.

"Get Madeline and Ciel too. And Misha if you can find him." Alice whimpered. Maggie quickly volunteered to find Misha and Kerli. I nodded sharply, running as fast as I could, following Bella and Edward's scent to their cottage. I banged on the door.

"Edward!" I yelled. The door opened momentarily.

"Jasper, what's wrong?" Edward frowned slightly, worry all over his face. My thoughts told him the problem, and Bella appeared behind him.

"What's up?" She said curiously, looking from Edward to me.

"Alice." Edward said, and in moments the three of us were speeding towards the main house.

We were back at the house in seconds. By then, Ciel, Madeline, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett were gathered around Alice. She looked at all of us.

"It's Dawn and Sebastian. They've decided to leave us and join the Volturi."


	9. Chapter 75

**Meanwhile, in Volterra...**

I walked quickly down the alleyway, towards the light of the street. I sidestepped several sleeping homeless people... Well, most of them were asleep anyway. The immense cold of mid-winter had taken its usual toll on the homeless population. I kept my eyes to the ground, shoulders hunched. Volterra wasn't a good place to be noticed in the dead of the night, especially if you were a young woman.

A few paces away from the edge of the dark alley, I stopped. The feeling of being watched was a lot closer than it had been at the start of the alleyway, and I hadn't paid a lot of attention to it before. I shuddered, and pulled my jacket tighter around me. My foot splashed in something she hadn't seen before, some dark liquid giving off gross fumes.

_Blood._

Gagging, I leapt back, a shriek at my throat. Just as I was about to release it, a hand grabbed around my neck. Eyes wide and terrified, I spun as much as I could to see who had grabbed me.

A young blonde girl, no older than 15, was smiling softly at her, her hand holding my throat.

"Please... Please, I-" I gasped out. The hand got tighter on my neck and I struggled to breathe.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm not going to kill _you_. Oh no, I was simply hungry with those humans. No, sweetie, _you_ are going to do something for me. Or for Aro, anyway. My names Jane, by the way, what's yours?" The blonde girl's grin got wider, and her hand loosened slightly to allow me to breathe. I gasped in relief at the sudden influx of air, and collapsed to the ground, scrabbling at the cobblestones to get away.

That was when the pain started. I collapsed onto her back, screaming. I felt tears slowly leak from my eyes from the agony. When the pain stopped, I huddled myself on the ground against the wall, and snuck a look at Jane. She was watching me intently.

"Your _name._" She hissed, eyes narrowed now.

"Abrielle." I whimpered, tucking my head into my knees. Jane smiled brightly again.

"See? That wasn't too hard." Jane knelt down beside me, and grabbed my arms, pulling me back up against the wall. It was then I noticed Jane's red eyes, and I let out another squeal, and resumed my struggles. Jane's cold hands, however, immobilised me.

"Now, _Abrielle_, how would you like to join a little... _Gang_?" Jane's smile turned cruel, almost predatory. I closed her eyes, mentally pinching herself, wishing that I would just wake up from this dream. Only, it didn't feel anything like a dream. This was real.

"A gang where you could be the leader, where you would be powerful beyond your dreams, no one could stand in your way. You would have others at your command, and if they didn't obey you? You could kill them." Jane's voice was taunting, on the verge of tempting. I looked at her bravely, thinking of the bullying at school, my parents verbally abusing me, my boyfriend making me do things I didn't want to do. I bit my lip nervously, but nodded, meeting Jane's eyes. Instantly, Jane's smile changed into the original bright, happy grin she had first met her with.

"Excellent. I'll see you in three days." Looking up, Jane nodded at something on the roof and suddenly disappeared.

"H-hey! Where are you goi-" My question was cut off as another, less gentle hand grabbed my throat. Something - or someone - clocked me around the head, and I blacked out.

The next thing going through my unconscious mind was a burning, unbearable pain.

**~*Three Days Later*~**

I became conscious with a gasp, my eyes flicking open. I was in a room with marble walls and roof. I could see six people standing to my right, and instinctively I leapt back, my body smashing against the opposite wall. The three main men were super pale, with a strange milkiness to their eyes. The one my instincts told me to really watch was the blonde one, shoulder length hair, who was regarding me coldly. The middle man had reasonably long black hair, and he was watching me rather indulgently. The other middle guy, to the left of the happy man, looked either really tired or really bored.

The other three, who appeared to be guarding them, included an even taller and broader guy than my boyfriend was, a shorter, although still terrifying boy, and... Jane. Jane was watching me curiously.

"Where am I?" I whispered, before clutching at my throat in surprise. My voice was light and almost sparkly.

"In Volterra, dear one. I must say, you were one of the loudest screamers I have ever brought in to be changed. My name is Aro. This is Caius and Marcus, Felix and Alec. I daresay you have already met Jane?" Aro gestured to Jane, and I nodded. He clapped his hands cheerfully, and flicked his fingers at Jane.

"Jane will be your mentor, she will guide you through everything you need to know. I believe Byanca and Rebecca will be awake soon - Alec, go round up Chelsea and Heidi. Heidi is to be Byanca's mentor, Chelsea for Rebecca." Alec, the short, boyish one, bowed his head slightly and disappeared as quick as Jane had all those nights ago. Except this time, I could actually see him run. Jane strode forward and grabbed my wrist, pulling me forward gently. Although I already knew how powerful she was, I could see something in Jane's eyes that made me slightly confused. Was it cautiousness? Fear? Hesitation? Huh. Weird. What would a vampire like Jane have to be scared of?

Regardless, I followed her.

"What am I? If that's not a stupid question to ask." I said softly, and Jane's delicate laugh echoed around the hall they were walking through.

"We're vampires. All of us. You're a newborn, which means you're a new vampire. Aro is the oldest vampire that is. The rest of us are young compared to him. Newborns are fast, super strong and usually quite vicious."

"You said I was a leader of a group. Is that true? Where's the rest of my 'gang'?" I put quote marks in the air around me with my fingers.

"A couple of the others should just about be waking up. Unfortunately, their rooms are a lot closer to the training quarters we have set up for you, so they'll probably already be there. We'll probably go hunting soon - I'm sure your throat is just burning!" Jane said, almost sounding sympathetic. It was, but I hadn't really noticed it before. Now that I was focused on it, it was almost a replica of what I felt while I was changing. Not quite, but almost. I groaned slightly, massaging my neck.

"We're here!" Jane said brightly, and we entered a dimly lit room, with four other people in there. They all looked around when we entered. Two of them smiled briefly at Jane, before staring at me curiously. One of the other girls was glaring at me, but the other one smiled shyly at me. Jane gave me a gentle push towards them and went to talk to the ones I supposed were Heidi and Chelsea.

"Hi, I'm Beci. Aro calls me Rebecca, but I refuse to acknowledge that it's my name. I'm guessing you're Abrielle, our... Leader?" Beci eyed me up and down, her shy expression changing to one of slight confidence. I nodded. The other girl, who had been glaring at me, snorted.

"Figures. Aro picks the one who has Jane as a mentor. Why am I not surprised? Did you know that it's Heidi who gets prey for everyone? Not Jane. It's Heidi who does the hard work. You'll probably turn out just like your mentor: annoying and useless." Byanca growled, shoving herself in between Beci and myself. Beci skittered back towards Chelsea. Heidi came forward and placed a hand on Byanca's shoulder.

"Byanca. That is enough. Jane is not useless. Don't make me kill you." Heidi hissed, pulling her away from me and slapping her. Byanca lowered her head.

"Sorry." Shooting one final glare at me, she flickered over to the opposite side of the room, Heidi following her after a brief hesitation.

"Come, Abrielle, we'll go hunting." Jane called, beckoning me forward.

We eventually got out of the maze of the Volturi castle, and it was night outside.

"I don't really need to hunt, but you need to learn. I'll watch. Remember, stick to dark streets, or at least drag your prey to it. Be careful, don't attract notice." Jane nodded, and jumped away to the nearest rooftop. I raced in the direction of a bar.

"OI! ABBI!" A familiar voice reached me. It was my boyfriend, drunk off his ass as usual. He came up behind me and slapped my ass, before rubbing himself against me. Ugh, humans.

"Hey Bal, wanna come for a walk with me?" I muttered seductively, keeping my red eyes in the shadow so he wouldn't see them. Bal's full name was Baldovino, but he loathed it.

"Uh... Yeah?" He said, sounding bewildered. A movement above me caught my eye. It was Jane. As Bal and I walked towards an alley, I put two fingers to my neck to signify that he could be a newborn. Jane nodded swiftly, and deftly pulled out a phone.

When we reached an alleyway, I shoved him hard, so he sprawled across the concrete and slammed into several garbage cans. I jumped to the roof to meet Jane.

"Aro will be here in a minute. Knock him out, will you? Aro'll be quite annoyed if he's gone runabout when we're supposed to take care of him. Then go hunting. Properly. I'll find you once Aro has taken _him_ back to the castle." Jane said dismissively. I leapt down from the building gracefully, landing next to Bal, who was moaning and clutching his head.

I grabbed a rock close to me, and hit him rather hard on the head. His body went into the limp state of unconsciousness.

Then I hunted until dawn.

**~* About a week later *~**

I had definitely changed since being a human. Jane taught me to be more bloodthirsty, violent. Honestly, I kind of liked it, after having to suffer every bad thing the world had to offer as a human. Aro always spoke about how good of a leader I was. Byanca was still jealous, but I laughed mentally whenever she flirted with Bal. He was still weirdly obsessed with me, but I felt no attraction to him whatsoever, and frequently told him so through punches and hisses during training.

And so the days went by, training, hunting, meeting new newborns. Beci and I became quite close, and often snickered about Byanca behind her back. Three new vamps came in on most days. One of them, Gaetana, was almost as bitchy as Byanca. It reminded me of school in a way. The bitchy girls: Byanca, Gaetana, Zaira and Illiana, the asshole guys: Luigi, Baldovino and Xiomar, the nice guys: Leonardo, Marcell, Niccolo and Galtem, and the nicer-than-the-bitchy-bitches: Beci, Valeria, Fulvia, Evelina, Amalia, and me.

Aro was quite pleased with our training, and I even caught an impressed expression on Caius' face.

Jane had made them so impressed with me they invited me to join them for dinner - which for them was when Heidi did the nighttime tourist tour.

"Any minute now." Jane sighed, eyes fixed on the massive doors. The doors opened, and we all sprang up, instantly alert.

But it wasn't Heidi or anyone with a heartbeat. Two vampires entered the room.

"Ah... Dawn. Sebastian. My old friends. How can I help you?" Aro breathed, eyes wide in surprise. Jane was watching Aro, looking for commands.

"We're joining your side." The female vampire, Dawn, said nervously. She was quite youthful, with long, wavy black hair. The male vampire, Sebastian, looked not entirely convinced.

"You left your coven. Your family. For the Volturi, who your coven has always avoided at all costs. The question is... Why?" Caius smirked, cocking his head.

"They're not our coven anymore." Dawn snarled, red eyes flashing angrily. Her voice was stronger, harder, more defensive. Aro's eyebrows nearly disappeared, they were raised so high. He lifted his hand in an opening gesture towards her. She flickered forward, staring bravely into Aro's eyes. She placed her hand delicately in his.

"Ah. Yes. Wavering loyalty... Although quite disappointing, not entirely surprising. Is that jealousy there? An attempt to steal a best friend in order to keep your adopted brother loyal to yourself. Interesting." Aro muttered to himself as he lifted his hand from hers.


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter 9**

**Jasper POV**

Madeline's confused expression changed to one of shock, and Ciel frowned thoughtfully. Carlisle, Rosalie and Esme scowled and Emmett cracked his knuckles threateningly.

"Bastards." He muttered. Everyone else had gathered by now, and Hanna gasped loudly, quickly hushed by Vanamo, Grigory, Mariya, Juhan, Emilia and Adrik. I set my jaw firmly, betraying no emotions to the news. Honestly, I wasn't so surprised. What I was so surprised about is how they were the only two that had left, no one else, no one with any powers.

"The Volturi will probably kill them as soon as they get near." A soft voice came from the doorway behind me. I spun my head around to see who it was. It was Kerli, her eyes alert but worried, dragging Misha by the hand. Hanna's lips were set downward unhappily as she said it, but she said nothing.

**Kerli POV**

I followed Misha back out of the garden to the waterfall. He pulled me close to him and kissed me powerfully as the water bucketed over us.

"Oi! Lovebirds!" A slightly amused voice yelled from the other side of the lake. Misha and I broke apart and spun to look at the newcomer. It was Maggie, from the Irish coven. From her expression, which was a mixture of fear and amusement, I instinctively scanned the area for threats. When I couldn't find anything, I looked at her questioningly.

"Not here. Back at the Cullen house. Something's happened." With that, she turned and sprinted back through the forest.

Grabbing Misha's hand, I pulled him behind me as I ran as fast as possible back to the house.

Skidding to a stop at the back door, we could see the masses of gathered vampires surrounding Alice. I went silent and waited to hear what was happening, not wanting to open the door in case it made a noise and stopped me from hearing what was being said.

"It's Dawn and Sebastian. They've decided to leave us and join the Volturi." I heard Alice's voice sound, muffled through the glass. Beside me, I felt Misha tense. With that news over, I quietly opened the door and slipped inside.

"Bastards." Emmett spat, and I felt the soft rumble of a growl sound in Misha's chest. Warningly, I placed a hand on his arm. I heard Hanna gasp at the news. I wasn't sure whether to be cynically happy at Hanna's dismay, or to be annoyed at the fact they had left us. Left their coven. Flicking my still-damp hair back, I decided to make myself known.

"The Volturi will probably kill them as soon as they get near." I said quietly, pulling myself and Misha forward to join the crowd. Jasper turned his head slightly to look at me and I smiled at him softly. Madeline's face was impassive, but I could see sadness and fear in her eyes. Ciel was muttering in her ear, so softly that no one else could hear. Hanna's face was similar. Misha sighed sadly, shaking his head. He let go of my hand and walked outside. I hesitated, thinking about going after him, but then decided against it.

_A lot of things have happened today, he just needs to clear his head, _I reasoned with myself.

The crunch of tyres skidding to a stop on gravel caused every single vampire in the room to turn almost simultaneously. Edward relaxed a little, and Alice smiled slightly.

"It's the Australians. And they've bought a few more, too." Everyone trickled outside as quickly as possible. The car in question was a minivan, one that could hold about fifteen people. I knew all of them - Grace, Meghan, Samuel, Dimity, Lily, Amber, Connor, Taiko, Kim and Mark. Meghan, Connor, Taiko, Kim and Dimity were the ones with powers. Carlisle stepped forward to greet them.

"Thank you for your covens support, Grace. It's greatly appreciated. May I ask who is representing the nomads?" He questioned, his eyebrows raised cautiously. Nomads weren't known for wanting someone to represent them.

"I am." Dimity, a petite red-haired vampire stepped forward. Amber pursed her lips slightly as if she didn't like it. I didn't really care - from what I had observed in the few times I had met with Dimity, she was as strong-willed as me and had a power, whereas Amber didn't. I had a hunch Amber knew this, because she didn't contest it.

Carlisle and Dimity spoke for a while, probably about the other nomads and their respective powers among them. Taiko strode over to talk to Vanamo and Grigory. Being from Asia, we had regular run-ins throughout Russia. Misha eventually joined me again and introduced me to Lily and Connor. Lily was a disturbingly happy person, but not as bubbly as Alice. Connor was more serious, but still easy to laugh. I think their easy-going nature was due to being Australian, but I didn't really know. They were shocked to hear of Sebastian and Dawns departure, as they had known Sebastian from when they had lived in a part of Australia called Tasmania. They took it well, and quickly settled back into ordinary conversation.

Connor later revealed his power: anti-gravity. He had thought it funny to scare Renesmee by walking on the roof, coming up behind her and say "Whatcha reading?" while she was flipping through a book called 'Entangled'. Taiko had the power of hovering a few inches off the ground - with his pale skin, light orange hair and tall frame, he hovered all around the house acting like a ghost. Kim and Benjamin sparred out in the backyard using their powers: Benjamin had the elements, Kim had all the power of the weather. Dimity was an old friend, and, while she was Australian, came up to Russia through Asia sometimes. She could talk to animals, although she considered it a useless power as animals rarely stayed near her for long periods of time.

I was feeling very confident about the upcoming battle.


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 10**

**Kerli POV**

After all the introductions, Misha and I went for a walk in the woods. We walked in silence, fingers laced together. I was the first to break the quiet.

"This must be hard for you." I carefully looked at him sideways, looking for a reaction.

"Yeah. I only feel intensely betrayed by this whole thing." He exhaled heavily. He stopped walking and faced me, holding my other hand in his other hand. "But I swear to God, or whatever else, I _will not_ let anything or anyone hurt you, least of all Dawn or Sebastian. They're family, but you're my _life_." His red eyes glowed with a fond intensity. It felt strange to me - the only other time in my life I had felt close to being this content with life was when I had been hunting with Jasper back in Texas. But even then, it didn't come close to now.

"And you're mine." I whispered, closing my eyes. I thought of every bad thing that had ever happened in my life. My father, Maria, the army, fights with Juhan, falling out with Hanna...

If this was the outcome of all of that, it was all worth it.

I tipped my face up to meet his, our kisses as passionate as ever, and yet more desperate as the battle drew nearer with each second.

"Good god you're beautiful." He breathed when we broke apart. I smoothed back his hair to a reasonably normal state.

"We should get back." I muttered, smiling softly. He nodded silently, his face rid of the happiness it had contained moments ago. I brushed my lips against his again quickly, and grinned.

"Race ya back?" I challenged. His smile returned and pushed me behind him, sprinting off as fast as he could.

"That's cheating!" I squealed, running after him. I reached the Cullen's lawn in moments, but when I stopped, Misha wasn't there. "Misha. Where are you." I said, alert, not falling for anything. A twig snapped to my right, and I whirled around to see Misha launching himself towards me. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me down as he fell.

Laughing, I fell on top of him.

"Idiot." I giggled, my platinum hair falling around my face.

"Naw, you don't really mean that, do you?" An overly-dramatic expression was on his face as he said it.

"Maybe," I wink, still giggling. _Giggling_. I'm a lot of things, but a 'giggler' isn't a word people commonly use. "I s'pose it depends on whether you'll go hunting with me tonight." I smile mischievously. Misha smirks.

"I'd be honoured, milady." He rolls so he can stand up and offers his hand to help me up. I take it and walk past him into the house to get changed out of my grass-stained clothes.

Most of the others are still inside, discussing the whole Dawn-Sebastian situation. I grab Alice's hand, not just because I need to find something to wear for hunting but because I want to know what's going on.

"What are they going to do about them?" I ask her, sitting on her bed while she rifles through her wardrobe for a sturdy dress I can use for hunting. I've been wearing jeans all week and need a break.

"I think they're just going to let what happens, happen. Madeline and Ciel are upset, naturally, but not entirely cut up as such," She shot me a sympathetic look. "How Misha holding up? Him and Sebastian were pretty close, it's probably a massive shock."

I nod. "He's okay. Not great, but okay. I guess we all are." I look back up at her as she starts pulling a decent looking dress out of the wardrobe.

Then her eyes go blank and unfocused.

"Alice?" I say, uncertain. She shakes her head slightly and refocuses, stuffing the dress back in the cupboard and pulling something a lot... Prettier out. Like, gorgeous. It was a rich blue colour that darkened to black near the bottom, knee-length and complete with no straps.

"Uh, Alice, I don't think that's really appropriate for hunting. It's gorgeous, but not exactly... Practical." I bite my lip uncertainly.

"Wear it. Trust me." She ordered. When Alice picks a dress, you don't usually deny it. I shrugged, and pulled it on. She bent down into the wardrobe and revealed a pair of strappy 4-inch heals.

"Ooookay, I think not? Alice, this is _hunting_. Not a dinner party."

"Well, for someone who drinks human blood I would've thought there wouldn't be a difference."

"Touché." I muttered. Just then, Bella walked in.

"Hey guys. Oh, is she trying to get you to go hunting in a cocktail dress and stilettos? She's already tried that with me. The dress isn't too bad - it's the heels that are the bitches to work around." She smirked. Alice surveys me.

"I'd say hair, but not only will it get ruined while you're running, but your hair always looks fabulous anyway." Alice sighed.

"Okay, _why _am I getting dressed up?" I groaned, shoving away from her as she tries to fix up a stray lock of hair.

"You'll find out." Alice whispered mysteriously, waving her fingers like an amateur magician.

Rolling my eyes, I stalked out of the room just as Jasper came upstairs.

"You look nice." He said suspiciously.

"Don't look at me like that. Blame your wife for dressing my like this when I'm going hunting, not to the racecourse." I snorted, flitting down the stairs in a second.

"She'll have her reasons." I hear him muse softly.

Half an hour later, Misha and I were in Seattle. The sun was barely setting, and the shops below were closing up for the night. I leaned against him when he put his arm around my shoulders. When the sun was low enough to start reflecting off anything - and everything - shiny, I jumped up and held my hand out. Diamond-like pricks of reflecting light instantly burst out. Grinning, I turned to Misha.

What I saw wiped the smile off my face.

Misha was on one knee, a gentle smile on his face. In his hands, was an ancient wooden box, containing a silver band inset with sapphires and diamonds. It was gorgeous.

"This ring was my mothers. Many centuries ago, when I was a human, I was a servant in Ciel and Madeline's manor, my mother visited in the middle of the night. She was sick. Dying. She gave me this," he whispered, gesturing to the ring, "And told me to give it to the one I loved. And now, I am." His soft, half-smile returned, making my breath hitch.

"So. Kerli Jahimees. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"


End file.
